"See?Capitalism conquers all!"Mei-Lin stood."Come on, I'll show you where everything is.And then you can help me convince Mother to let me open that bakery I've been planning."
"She doesn't want you to?"
"She thinks it's beneath us now that we're 'established.'"Mei-Lin rolled her eyes."But I'm lucky, remember?I know it'll succeed.I just have to wear her down."
As they walked through the house, Wren caught a glimpse of Jin in the courtyard below, settling the animals.He looked up, met her eyes, and gave that small nod.
Safe.They were all safe.
Now they just had to wait out the migration and hope her home survived.
***
DINNER WAS AN ELABORATEaffair, much more formal than Wren had expected.
The dining room was beautiful, with a polished wooden table that could seat ten, though tonight it was just the family plus Wren.There were candles in elegant holders, fine dishes and serving platters arranged with care.Zhao Lin clearly took pride in proper presentation.
"This is lovely," Wren said as she sat.Mei-Lin had helped her change into one of her nicer dresses, though she felt underdressed compared to the family's formal attire.
"We maintain standards," Zhao Lin said, serving soup with practiced elegance."Just because we're facing a crisis doesn't mean we abandon civility."
"Mother believes dinner is a sacred ritual," Mei-Lin said, ladling soup into her bowl."No business talk, no arguments, proper manners."
"It's served us well," Zhao Wei said mildly."Wren, how are you feeling about the migration?"
"Anxious.Hopeful.Trying not to think about it too much."
"Wise approach."He accepted bread from Jin, who'd been quietly helping serve."The reality is, most properties survive.Damaged, yes, but standing.Your treehouse is solid."
"The shield concerns me more."
"The shields are designed to flex under pressure," Jin said, speaking for the first time."Complete failure is rare.Damage is common, but catastrophic collapse..."He paused."It usually only happens with poor maintenance or very old systems."
"Or sabotage," Kenji added from his seat beside Mei-Lin.He'd been invited to dinner as well, given the danger.
Everyone looked at him.
"What?We're all thinking it.After the frost incident and the rumors, it's not a stretch to worry about Lyra tampering."
"Kenji," Jin warned.
"I'm just saying!That frost was targeted, we all know it.And now conveniently there's a massive migration coming through."He shrugged."If I were a vindictive weather mage, I'd absolutely use this as cover."
Zhao Lin's expression tightened."If Lyra has truly escalated to property destruction, that's a matter for the Marshall to handle.Not dinner conversation."
"Sorry, ma'am."
But the damage was done.Everyone was thinking about it now.
Wren pushed her soup around, appetite fading."If something happens to my property, can it be proven?Sabotage versus bad luck?"
"Depends," Jin said carefully."If there's clear evidence of tampering, yes.If it looks like natural damage..."He met her eyes."We'd investigate thoroughly.But proof is difficult."
"So she might get away with it."
"She might."His expression was hard."But she's getting reckless.Overconfident.Eventually she'll make a mistake."
"Before or after she destroys everything I've built?"
